This will be the last New Music Fridays for a couple of weeks as I jet off to Switzerland for a much needed vacation. Though there weren't many songs I bookmarked for the week, the ones I did are all fantastic, so check em out...
Satisfied - Galantis, Max
I am loving Swedish electronic dance masters Galantis more and more with every new release they make, and this week they've put out two new songs, Mama Look At Me Now, and this one, a funky, easily likable neo-discoish dance jam. Satisfied is a perfect summer jam, so check it out...
Only Love - Mary J. Blige
In the week's nicest surprise, Mary J. Blige is back with a new song and she sounds as good as ever. Only Love is an up tempo, funky dance gem and I am loving it! Check it out...
Sun In Our Eyes - MO, Diplo
Danish singer MO, whose voice is perfect for pop/dance music, has released a new song together with superstar deejay/producer Diplo and it is a winner! The tune is from the singer's upcoming sophomore album due out in October. Check out Sun In Our Eyes...
Talk Later - The Vamps
The Vamps have just released their third album, Night and Day, and the newest single is like much of what they do, a pleasant pop/rock tune that's catchy and very likable. Check out Talk Later...
Erase - FRND, Lights
Andrew Goldstein, operating under the pseudonym FRND, has reworked a previous recording of his with the help of singer Lights, and the results are sublime! Check out the easy breezy Erase...
As always, here are some honorable mentions for you to check out as well...
Hey there! It's Monday night, so it must be time for New Music Fridays, lol. This is a tough week in new music. I had quite a difficult time finding songs worthy of spotlighting. Probably the biggest news this week is the release of two new Janelle Monáe tunes, but other than that, it's been a so-so week. In fact, I'm only going to highlight four new songs, two from Monáe and two others, of course worthy of checking out. So let's go...
Make Me Feel - Janelle Monáe
For any of you Janelle Monáe fans out there, you'll be very happy that for the first time in five years, the fiery and versatile songstress is back with not one, but two brand new singles from her forthcoming album, Dirty Computer. The first one, Make Me Feel, is a throwback funky tribute to the Minneapolis sound of the 80's. Even the video hearkens to the funky dancing style of that famous Purple One. Very hot! Check out Make Me Feel...
Django Jane - Janelle Monáe
The second new single from Monáe is completely different from the first, and if it weren't for the double release I probably wouldn't have highlighted this one. Django Jane is much darker than the previous tune and its style is...well...rap. Check it out...
Magenta Riddim - DJ Snake
DJ Snake returns to the scene with a wild blend of fast-paced Indian melodies along with island rhythms and Caribbean vocals. This track is fierce, very unique, and strictly for hardcore dance fans. Check out Magenta Riddim...
Carried Away - KLP, Milwaukee Banks
I'd never heard of singer KLP before, but I tell you she's got one catchy pop song here. Check out Carried Away...
Though I have shared four new tracks worthy of attention, there are some songs, while not exciting enough to highlight, are worthy of an honorable mention. Who knows, maybe some of them will grow on me and you'll see them as Song of the Day. In the meantime, you can check all of these out on Spotify:
Happy Saturday! Today's song was a top pick from last week's New Music Fridays, and everything I said there is still true. Great tune! Check out the very cool A Different Way...
Whoah, what a week in new music! It's only been a little more than twenty four hours now, and I'm feeling a little overwhelmed digesting all of the great, noteworthy stuff that's new this week. Which ones to share? For what it's worth, here goes...
Good Old Days - Macklemore & Kesha
Indie turned mainstream rap artist Macklemore has dropped his own solo project without his partner in crime Ryan Lewis and the newest single off the set, Gemini, is a tender, sweet ballad featuring the newly respected, mature Kesha. The song is radio friendly and has already caught quite the buzz, featuring in all of the major music magazines. Check out the vintage-esque video set at a campground...
Sexy Dirty Love - Demi Lovato
Demi Lovato's got a brand new album coming out this week and she's dropped yet another sexy tune from the set that's also catching a lot of buzz. This one is a lot more dance-floor friendly than her previous Sorry, Not Sorry, but still with a lot of rhythm and blues. Great voice, sexy jam! Take a listen to the track on Rolling Stone.
Starlight - Emeli Sandé
I love Emeli Sandé, but usually it's for the positivity and inspiration that she so often sings to. Well now Ms. Sandé has dropped a surprise dance single from her forthcoming third studio album and it is awesome! With a nice groove and her smooth, ethereal vocals, this one is a winner. R+Take a listen to Starlight...
Generous - Olivia Holt
Marvel's Cloak and Dagger actress Olivia Holt has turned singer with this new, irresistible, sexy finger snapper and toe tapper that I loved the very first time I heard it. Such a fun tune, and video! Check it out...
Hot Damn - The Shadowboxers
The Shadowboxers are Justin Timberlake's newest discovery just dropped their newest single and it is hot. The trio of Adam Hoffman, Matt Lipkins and Scott Tyler have been working with Timberlake all summer long and the results are amazing. Hot Damn is definitely within the realm of JT's sound, fast moving and dancey rhythm and blues that is very radio friendly. Take a listen to it on Just Jared, where the tune debuted on Thursday.
Deadly Valentine - Charlotte Gainsbourg
British and French actress and singer Charlotte Gainsbourg, whom I'd never heard of before today, has released a new tune from an upcoming album called Rest. The track is described by Spin's Anna Gaca as "dreamy [and] danceable," and I couldn't agree more with that assessment. The tune has a sort of strange, but funky bassline that's just immediately likable and the rest of it is, well, dreamy and danceable! Check out the "offbeat" video to Deadly Valentine...
Borrowed Time - Wyclef Jean
Two of my favorite songs of all time, Gone Till November and Perfect Gentleman, are from former Fugees frontman Wyclef Jean. Jean has been largely absent for the past several years, but that's about to change with his new Carnival III: The Fall and Rise of a Refugee, his latest album which just dropped on September 15th. I gave this song an extra listen because it is Wyclef, and I'm actually glad I did. The tune is a beautiful, socially conscious ballad that actually features sounds never heard before from the planet Jupiter, as recorded by NASA. Pretty cool, huh? It really is a beautiful song! Check it out...
Big Girls (Wiz Mix) - Salt n Pepa
Okay, so I can't find much on this freshly released track from Salt n Pepa, but I love it! It's sounds like it could have been an early recording, a little more rappish than pop, and I can't tell, but I think the recording samples Run DMC somewhere in there. Great tune! Take a listen...
A Different Way - DJ Snake, featuring Lauv
I've been a fan of DJ Snake for a couple of years now, and his latest, A Different Way, only adds to my admiration of his work. Ed Sheeran gets songwriting credits for the tune and smooth-voiced singer Lauv contributes the dramatic vocals. Of course, it is a DJ Snake track, so it's gotta be danceable, and ooh, the dance sequences in the song are actually what make it for me. Snake debuted the single in Paris atop the Arc de Triomphe...cool! Check out A Different Way...
Okay, okay, I need to stop here. You see, I told you there was a lot of great stuff this week, probably the most of any single week since I've been doing New Music Fridays. On top of these nine great songs, there are some really great honorable mentions that you should check out as well. Take a look...
Phases - ALMA, with French Montana Again - Noah Cyrus, XXXTENTACION Hillside Boys - Kim Petras Week Without You - Miley Cyrus Ain't Ready - Hoodie Allen Don't Look Back In Anger - Portugal. The Man. Lost in the Wild - Synead Move You - Kelly Clarkson Ready For It - Taylor Swift Anything - All Tvvns
There's even more, so stay tuned to John's Music World Song of the Day or Spotify's New Music Fridays to check em out.
Dutch duo Yellow Claw have teamed up with DJ Snake and Elliphant to create this wonderfully nice, wonderfully soothing dance tune. Billboard says it's dripping with sunshine with tinges of 80's new wave that lead into sweet dynamic drop, and yeah, I agree. Check out Good Day...
I am in the midst of compiling my list for the top 50 dance tunes of 2016 and here's one of my favorite entries. DJ Snake and company have had a busy year, with several hits off the Encore album, including the uber-popular Let Me Love You, featuring the Biebs. This song is more club and less pop than that one, but loving the vocals and the music. Check out Here Comes the Night...
Though French producer DJ Snake currently has a monster hit on his hands with Let Me Love You (with a lil help from Justin Bieber), there are quite a few other gems on his record, Encore. Here is the second single from the album, released back in June, and it's a nice chill/dance tune with equally chill vocals from Aussie George Maple. Check out Talk...
Today's song, the latest by French producer DJ Snake, is a multi-faceted gem, Featuring nice, tender vocals from British singer Bipolar Sunshine, Middle is a song of regret, yet with a confidence that everything's going to work out. Musically, the verses play out like a sad opus while the music in between is like the sunshine of hope. Nicely produced track! Check out Middle...
As I mentioned the other day, I am in the midst of creating this year's lists of the best songs in both pop and dance music, and I'll be posting some of the best of 2015 all week long. We begin with this mesmerizing tune that was a big hit not only here in the U.S, but all over the world, too. Check out Lean On...
All summer long, I've been featuring hot summer jams from years past and it's about time I posted something from the summer of 2015. Here's a jam that is very hot right at this moment. It's a chill-y, dancey tune that had everybody jamming last night at the Ritz in NYC, and if you click play, you'll be jamming too...
Good morning and Happy Hump Day! Here's a nice, smooth dancey, chillish tune for your listening pleasure. The tune was actually recorded by French electronic duo AlunaGeorge back in 2011, but this DJ Snake remix version came out last year and achieved moderate success here and elsewhere. Check out You Know You Like It...
Here's a nice, chill tune that I discovered on Spotify recently. The song was first released two years ago and it reminds me of something Odesza might've done. Just goes to show you how much good music gets through without many people hearing it, and just so we can hear the same stuff over and over again.... Radio sucks! Check this one out...
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